For the First Time
by peytona05
Summary: Raven has a vision of Chantel breaking up with Eddie, and she asks Chelsea for help how to stop it from happening.
1. The Vision

For The First Time

Raven and Chelsea had just closed their lockers as Eddie and Chantel rounded the corner, hand in hand. Eddie quickly waved as he passed by his friends, then returned to his and Chantel's conversation. Chelsea looked at Raven and smiled as she said, "Wow, Rae, they look so cute together."

"I know, Chels, but how many more times are you going to say that? They've been dating for almost a year now, and you say it every day."

Chelsea bit her lower lip apologetically. "I can't help it; it's so true. But you know, Eddie never seems to have much time for us anymore."

The girls began walking down the hall as Raven responded, "Well, Chantel is his first serious girlfriend. We can't expect Eddie to date someone and still spend all of his time with us. It wouldn't be fair to Chantel."

Raven had barely finished her sentence before she had a vision: She saw Chantel talking to Eddie on the telephone, and she was saying, "I can't take this anymore. The only person you care about being with is Raven."

Her vision ended, and she turned to look at Chelsea. "We have a problem. Let's get to class and I'll tell you about it."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once seated in history class, Raven passed Chelsea a note that read, _I saw Chantel breaking up with Eddie because of me. What am I supposed to do?_

Chelsea responded, _Maybe you should talk to Eddie about it, or Chantel._

To which Raven answered, _I can't do that, Chels. I don't even know what I'm going to do to break them up. What would I say to Eddie? "You're about to get dumped, and I'm the reason why"? I don't think so. And somehow talking to Chantel doesn't sound like it would work. I have no idea what to do. I mean, I can't _not_ do something. I can't just ignore this._

Suddenly Chelsea had an idea. _Raven, that's it. All you have to do is ignore Eddie. Chantel can't break up with him over you if you're not paying him any attention._

Raven had to agree. _You're right, Chelsea. That's exactly what I'll do. Thanks for the help. But listen, you can't say anything to Eddie about this. Promise?_

Chelsea smiled at her friend and nodded in agreement.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That afternoon, Eddie was having some trouble with his chemistry homework, so he picked up the phone to call Raven. He dialed her number and waited for someone to answer.

Raven heard the telephone ring and called, "I'll answer it!" She removed the cordless phone from its cradle and said, "Hello?"

On the other end, she heard Eddie say, "Rae, can you help me with my homework?"

Without answering him, she hung up. Raven turned around and saw her father coming downstairs.

"Who was that on the phone?" Victor wanted to know.

Raven quickly thought of a response. "It was a wrong number."

"But you didn't even say anything to the person. How do you know it was a wrong number?"

Raven smiled. "Dad, I'm psychic, remember? I just...know."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eddie pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, confused. Raven had never hung up on him before. He redialed her number, and when she answered a second time, Eddie tried to get her to stay on the line, but she hung up again.

"What in the world is the matter with her?" he mumbled to himself.

He decided to call Chelsea, hoping that she didn't hang up on him too. Chelsea's mother answered the telephone, and he asked to speak to his friend.

Chelsea came on the line, and immediately Eddie said, "Chelsea, whatever you do, don't hang up."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she wanted to know.

"I just called Raven for help on my chemistry homework, but she hung up on me...twice! Do you know what's going on with her?"  
Thinking of the vision, Chelsea asked, "You called Raven? How come you didn't call Chantel?"

"Oh gee, Chels, I don't know. Maybe because she isn't in that class with me?" Eddie replied sarcastically. "So anyway, what's up with Raven? Is she feeling all right?"

Chelsea knew she couldn't break her promise to Raven, but she didn't want to lie to Eddie either. She wasn't sure what to do. So she simply said, "Well, I'm sure she has her reasons. Why don't you try talking to her...some other time?"

"Yeah, I guess that's what I'll have to do. But in the meantime, who's going to help me with my homework?"


	2. The Attempts

The following morning, Eddie was talking to Chantel at her locker, and he was telling her about what happened the night before with Raven.

"I don't understand. She was acting so weird, even for her."

Chantel placed a book in her backpack, then looked at her boyfriend. "What do you mean?"  
Trying to explain Raven's visions without actually saying the word _psychic_, Eddie answered, "Well, sometimes she get these...ideas, and they tend to make her do some crazy things. But that can't be what's bothering her, because she would have told me about it."

"Maybe she was having a bad day, and didn't feel like talking to anybody."

"Raven wouldn't have hung up on me without saying anything. She's up to something; I just wish I knew what it was."

Just then, Raven and Chelsea strolled passed the couple, talking. Eddie motioned to Chantel that he would be back in a moment, then he joined his friends.

"Raven, can we talk?" he pleaded.

She began swatting the air to her right. "Chelsea, do you hear a bug buzzing around here?"

"Rae, that isn't a bug; it's Eddie." After catching the glare Raven was sending her, Chelsea began swatting the air as well. "I mean...yeah, I do hear it. What an annoying sound!"

Raven continued to wave her arm around, pretending that she didn't see Eddie. "I wish it would leave me alone."

Eddie took a step back, wearing a hurt look on his face. He returned to Chantel's side.

"She's never told me to leave her alone. She's really upset over something."

Chantel tried to make him feel better. "Technically, she didn't say it to you. She was talking to Chelsea."

Eddie shook his head negatively. "Raven may have been talking to Chelsea, but she said that to me. Why won't she talk to me?"

"Don't worry about it. Things will work out in the end."

"Baby, you don't get it. I've been best friends with those two since we were five years old, and I can always tell when something is the matter. I can't help fix it if she doesn't tell me what it is."

"I know you probably don't want to hear this, but Raven may not want your help. Sometimes girls just want to work out their problems on their own."

"Well, I can keep trying. My next class is chemistry, and Raven's in there with me. I'm going to try talking to her then."

Eddie kissed Chantel on the cheek, lifted his backpack onto his shoulder, and walked away. Chantel watched him leave, hoping for his sake that he wouldn't find something out that he didn't need to know--although she didn't have any idea what he could possibly learn.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raven was sitting in chemistry class, trying to pay attention to the lecture, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned slightly, and saw Eddie behind her. He had barely finished saying her name before she turned to face the front of the room again.

Tearing a sheet of paper out of his notebook, Eddie scribbled, _Rae, what is your problem? Why won't you talk to me?_ He tossed it onto her desk and watched as she opened the crinkled piece of paper.

Raven read his note, then quietly ripped it into pieces. Eddie's eyes grew wide as he watched her reaction, and he thought, _I can't believe she just did that._ His next thought was directed to Raven. _You know, you're really starting to get on my nerves. Whatever it is that's bothering you, you're blowing it entirely out of proportion._

After class, Eddie tried again to talk to his friend, but she brushed right by him as if he didn't exist. Sighing, Eddie walked down the hall to his math class, where he didn't pay much attention. His mind was on problems other than the ones in his book.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the next couple days, Eddie decided to leave Raven alone. But Thursday evening, he tried talking to her again. _Maybe_, he thought, _she's feeling better now, and she won't hang up on me._

Dialing her number, he waited for someone to pick up. Victor answered the phone.

"Hey Mr. B., it's Eddie. Is Raven there?"

"Yeah Eddie, hold on a second. I'll get her for you."

Victor carried the phone upstairs and knocked his daughter's bedroom door. "Raven, Eddie is on the phone."

Acting like nothing was wrong, Raven opened the door only long enough to take the phone and say, "Thanks, Dad." She closed the door, then she hung up on Eddie.

To herself, Raven said, "Eddie, I know this is bothering you, but trust me, I'm doing this for you. You love Chantel, and I want you to be happy."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well, that turned out great," Eddie mumbled sarcastically. "Raven, don't think I'm going to give up on you. I want my best friend back, and somehow I'm going to get you to talk to me."


	3. The Truth Comes Out

Over the next week or so, Eddie tried several different ways to get Raven to talk to him. She ignored him each time, but he was determined not to let that stop him.

The third Friday of each month was the night Eddie, Raven, and Chelsea went to the mall to hang out. After everything that had happened recently, Eddie wondered how it was going to go. He knocked on Raven's front door, and when he saw Cory on the other side, Eddie asked, "Are Raven and Chelsea ready to go?"

Cory wanted to know, "What do you mean? They're not here."

"They're not? Where did they go?"

"I don't know," Cory returned, "but they left about an hour ago."

Eddie started to leave, but then he stopped. "Cory, has your sister been acting weird around here lately?"

"You mean weirder than usual? No, why?"

"Well, ever since last week, Raven's been ignoring me and I can't figure out why. She won't talk to me, look at me, or anything. She's hung up on me several times, and once she even swatted at me as if I were a bug. I was just wondering if she's been doing everyone like that, or if it was just me."

Cory thought a moment, then said, "Hey, do you know what? I saw something exactly like this on TV one time. Come on in, and I'll tell you about it."

Eddie entered the house, closed the door, and joined Cory on the couch. "So tell me what you saw on television."  
"Well, a few weeks ago, I watching _Jenna's Diary_, and--"

Eddie began to snicker. "You watch _Jenna's Diary_? Man, that's a chick-flick-turned-TV-show."

"Do you want my advice or don't you? In the episode that I saw, Jenna's best friend Todd started dating a girl named Amy, and he hardly ever had time to hang out with Jenna anymore. That upset Jenna, so she decide to simply ignore Todd."

"And that's what you think is the matter with Raven? You think she's mad at me for dating Chantel? We've been together for nearly a year, and Raven _just_ started acting this way."

"Maybe she started seeing you in a different light. But I don't know if that's it or not. It's just a possibility."

Eddie sighed, then stated, "Well, can you find out what is the matter? I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Yeah, I'll do that. I'll call you later tonight and let you know what she told me."

"Thanks, Cor. I appreciate it. Tell me, though. Why do you watch _Jenna's Diary_?"

"Hey, a man has to know how a woman's mind works." Cory paused. "Listen, since I'm not doing anything, and it doesn't look like you're doing anything, why don't you stick around and we can play some video games?"

Eddie agreed, and he stayed for another hour, hanging out with Cory. When he saw Raven open the front door, he decided it was time for him to go and let Cory do his job.

Heading for the door, Eddie remarked, "I'll see you later, man. Hey, Rae."

Cory watched Eddie shut the door, then asked, "Raven, what was that about?"

"What?" she questioned innocently.

"Eddie spoke to you, and you ignored him. And why did you leave without him tonight?"  
"Cory, since when do you care about my friends?"

"Some friend you are!" Cory retorted. "You've been ignoring Eddie for a week and he doesn't know why. I think he deserves an explanation."

Raven hesitated before responding. "I can't tell Eddie why I'm ignoring him. I don't want to hurt him."

"You're hurting him now. The two of you have been friends for longer than I can remember; whatever your reason is, you ought to be able to tell him."

"Cory, you don't understand. I had a vision that Chantel was going to break up with him and she said, 'The only person you care about being with is Raven.'"

"And, what? You're trying to protect him?"

"Yes."

"So you're not mad at him."

"No, I'm not. Why are you asking me all of these questions?"

"Don't worry about that. What you should worry about is how this is going to affect your relationship with Eddie."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once in his room, Cory dialed Eddie's phone number. "You will not believe what I found out after you left!"

"What did she say? Is she mad at me?"

"Okay, the thing is, Raven had a vision about you and Chantel, and she was breaking up with you because, quote, 'The only person you care about being with is Raven.' End quote. Raven was ignoring you because, apparently, she figured that if there was distance between the two of you, Chantel wouldn't break it off. She isn't mad at you; she's been trying to protect you. Raven didn't want her vision to come true."

Eddie sighed. "Cory, it's still going to come true. For the past week, I've been trying to get Raven to pay attention to me, and I haven't spent very much time with Chantel. I do care about being with Raven. She's _all_ I care about anymore."

"Then it's up to you to stop the vision from happening. If you care about Raven the way you say you do, then break up with Chantel and tell my sister how you feel."

"You're right, Cory. Raven was trying to do me a favor by ignoring me--even thought I did take it the wrong way--now it's my turn to do her one by stopping this vision from coming true."

After hanging up, Eddie lay on his bed to think about what to tell Chantel. Not long after his conversation with Cory ended, his telephone rang again. He answered it, and heard Chantel on the other end. "Baby, don't bother saying anything, because I already know what you're going to say, and you're absolutely right. The fact that Raven was ignoring me drove me nearly insane, but tonight I found out why she wasn't paying me any attention, and I understand now why it bothered me so badly. Chantel, what I'm saying is, Raven's the only person I care about being with, and I'm breaking up with you."

It took Chantel a moment to process everything she had just heard. "How did you know I was calling to break up with you? It's like you're psychic or something."

Eddie smiled as he thought of Raven. "Well, let's just say that, for the first time, I'm really thinking clearly about what I want. But listen, Chantel, I'd like for us to try and stay friends."

Chantel replied sweetly, "So would I, Eddie. I guess I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Cool. I'll see you then, Chantel."


	4. The Right Thing

Eddie had stayed up for what seemed like hours the night before, trying to figure out what he was going to say to Raven when he saw her. He had finally decided to make sure she listened to what he had to say, then he would decide how to tell her.

He sat in the living room, waiting while Cory went to let Raven know she had company. Turning when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, Eddie saw Raven, and immediately said, "Raven, we need to talk."

When Raven continued to walk through the room without acknowledging him, Eddie declared, "I know about the vision."

Raven stopped in her tracks when she heard that. "What? How did you find out about my vision?"

"Cory called me last night, after he talked to you. He told me all about it. But what I don't understand is why I didn't hear about it from you."

Raven was silent for a moment. "I didn't tell you because I was afraid of you getting hurt."

"Oh, and ignoring me was going to make it go away? Rae, that hurt worse than you telling me that Chantel was going to break up with me."

"Eddie, I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing. It's just that...well, I guess it scared me a little that I saw Chantel breaking up with you because of me."

"Well, do you know what, Rae? I made sure that your vision didn't come true."

Raven looked a bit surprised. "You did? How?"

"Chantel called me last night, but she didn't break up with me. I broke up with her."

"Eddie, maybe I'm missing something here, but I don't understand. Why did you break up with Chantel?"

"After Cory told me about your vision, I realized something. And do you know what it was? In order to keep your vision from happening, you decided to start ignoring me. But I didn't know what was going on with you, and I spent all of my time trying to get you to talk to me. I barely spent any time with Chantel, because I only wanted to be with you. Even without realizing it, Rae, you were causing that vision of yours to come true. I started thinking of all the things we've done together, and it hit me that even though some of your visions have gotten us into loads of trouble, I have never wanted it any other way. I've bailed you out on so many different occasions, and I figured I shouldn't stop now, especially since you did try to spare my feelings. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, if you really care about my happiness, then you'll prove it by going out with me tonight."

Raven felt her face getting warm. "Like on a date? Do friends do that sort of thing?"

"Looking at the situation from where I am, I'd have to say that the answer is yes. I've never been more sure about anything, Rae. This feels right."

Eddie took Raven by the hand and, drawing her in close, kissed her. They pulled away, and Raven smiled as she looked down at their hands. "I agree. It does feel right."


End file.
